I remember that as a kid, I first tasted pixie sticks- they were so sour, so sweet, and so fruity. Shocking to the taste but irresistible at the same time... I couldn't quite wrap my feeble mind around it. This beer is kinda like the adult version of that moment.

Bright gold to the initial pour, the beer casts the hazy shade of hefeweizens, but with the zesty carbonation that's noted in Belgian golden ales. Streaming carbonation fuels a white frothy and loosely knit head that situates on top of the beer and laces delicately along the sides of the glass.

An unexpected whiff of smoke rises from the glass well before anything else does. But eventually, the zesty wheat notes of fresh baking (or has been baked) breads/bread crust, toast, and lemons. Coupled with apples and bananas, these more finesse elements peak through the smoke on occasions.

Flavors are much more balance, and more confusing than that of the nose. With no hierarchy in place, each of the contrasting flavors of smoke, bread dough, fruit, tart sourness, and pepper rising and falling with each sip. Different combinations of smoke and apples, then lemon and pepper, then meat and bread.... the combinations are endless as these oddly compelling tastes seem to play pranks on the taste buds and the mind.

The incredible taste plays out on a highly spritzy mouthfeel of sparkling wine, creamy aridness, The prickle of peppery heat stabs at the tongue as sharp tartness also pangs at those soft tissues. A quick finish of evaporating wheat, alcohol warmth, and acidity delivers quite a vast array of textures in short order.

The culmination of rauchbier, Berlinerweiss, hefeweizen, and saison are embattled tastes that somehow come together in these classicly revisited gratzer beers.

I always a resurrected recipe rarity, and this is one interesting beer. a smoked light wheat beer, not wholly dissimilar to mikkellers rauchpils, but there is more going on here. this pours a burnt biscuit color, toasty and yet still light, clearly unfiltered, decent off white head with average retention. the nose is a mindscrew, it has all that oaky smoky peat stuff happening in the normal rauchbiers, but this one has a lighter, sweeter, more summery wheat malt base, very different. the malts are clearly german, and the smoke isn't as intense in some, but is exacerbated by the lighter body, it stands out more. it gives some nice meaty flavors to an otherwise pretty soft wheat beer, and the yeast adds just enough funky pep to make this beer a real oddity. the carbonation is great, and the body is nice and light, but the aftertaste and the overall hustle of this beer reminds me way too much of how you smell after grilling. its a good smell live, but when you wake up the next day its not so nice. this is a well made beer, and I appreciate it for what it is, but the style probably died for a reason. im not inspired to seek this out again, and although I really respect it, Ive had more or less enough.

Pretty drinkable, nice restrained used of smoked malt. Nothing to really compare this to, does make me think a little bit of Bamberg & a smoked hefe I tried from Rocky Mountain Brewing in Co Springs...

Poured into a snifter. Big thanks to Urbancaver for this. Brewed in 2011.

3.0 A: Murky brownish yellow color. Three fingers of foamy white head. Retention is below average and just a few whisps of lacing are left.

5.0 S: Wonderful nose! Powerful smoked malt with layers and layers of depth. Campfire smokiness is in the forefront, but underneath there is porcine galore and beyond that are BBQ briquettes. The rest of the smell is pretty simple as you can't get past the smoke and to it. Still, this is absolutely perfect. Big and powerful and as complex as you can get (given the big and powerful) and yet it's so well integrated and rounded.

3.5 T: The taste can't hold up to the nose. The smoke flavor is there, but it's not nearly as deep or complex as in the nose. Only the campfire variety manifests. You can, however, get to the base now though. Light pear fruitiness, dirty earthiness, and poplar wood. Chard and chard-like bitterness. A bit grainy and wheaty as well.

3.5 M: Medium body. A little more carbonation than I care for, but not bad. "Fluffy" creaminess. Smooth.

2011 Bottle. Into a snifter. Cloudy dark straw color with two fingers of head. Smells like smoked salmon. A lighter smoke than other smoked beers. There's a bit of fruit, maybe banana in the smell too.Smoke taste too. Soft wheat texture and taste. Low bitterness.Moderate carbonation, the bubbles dance in the mouth. I enjoy that fact that this is a revived beer from history. But I do not personally enjoy it enough to want more.

I had this beer a few times, but somehow am just getting around to reviewing it. As a homebrewer, trying experimental and historical beers is always educational and fun, especially when the brewer nails it like Choc has with this one. Great job sourcing the ingredients - custom oak-smoked malt and a genuine Polish yeast. Anyway, here we go. The pour looks like a healthy hefeweizen - cloudy gold with an orange hue and a big-bubbled head of white foam. The aroma is immediately smokey. Really smoky. But the oak smoke is definitely different than the beachwood or cherry wood smoked beers I've had before. Definitely reminds me of Texas oak-smoked BBQ. The palate offers a bit more than smoke - some interesting esters - subtle banana and pear. A hint of sea salt, bread dough, and herbs. Superbly dry and quenching. Nice full, wheaty body despite the low ABV. Somehow they managed to make a smoked beer refreshing. I can't believe how well they did with a first release of an off-the-wall, historical style. Definitely worth a try for the real beer geeks.

P: Once poured into the thistle glass a huge mountain of fluffy white head arises perched ontop of a bath of cloudy, and creamy light gold with dark highlights. Good head retention with bubbly lacing climbing the sides of the glass.

T/M: Wow! A vibrant explosion of funky wheat, yeast, slightly metallic and timid earthy hop attributes to this light but well carbonated brew. Wood, hay and a lingering delicate smoke deliver a crisp and refreshing finish.

O: Hats off to Brewmaster Lalli at Choc. This delicious offering has crisp fresh flavors with a smoky twist. A fantastically well done rebirth of this forgotten style. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to enjoy this fantastic beer and recommend anyone that is able to get this to try it.

I have been a bartender for nearly a decade and opened thousands of bottles of champagne and/or corked beer bottles. This was the very first that has even gotten away from me. As soon as I twisted the cage off I saw the cork start to slip out. Unfortunately, my thumb was not enough to keep the cork from launching itself out of the bottle. Fortunately, I know enough to always keep the cork facing away from any people. It drilled my ceiling.

APPEARANCE: This is a fascinating beer in terms of its appearance. While it is a light yellowish-orange and seemingly light in color it is exceptionally hazy. This is the lightest colored beer I have ever seen that cannot possibly be seen through. Also, two-finger head that arose four minutes ago is still going strong with at least a finger left. The bubbles are big, homogenous and full of aroma.

SMELL: I have tried several beers that have claimed to smell like bacon. This beer makes no such claim, but does so more than any other I have ever tried. Wow. Bacon is the overwhelming aromatic characteristic and overpowers everything else. Fantastic.

TASTE: This is hands down the smokiest beer I have ever tasted. Up front the crispy bacon characteristics of the nose are very apparent, but on the way down it shifts into a much more smooth, ham-like flavor. As the beer warms the ham-like flavor becomes more and more predominant, but with a touch of a smoky, roasty aftertaste. Some citrus actually kicks towards the end as well. This is certainly a unique beer.

MOUTHFEEL: Again, this is a very unique beer. The first sip of the Gratzer is a little tough, but after that it quickly becomes a smooth, pleasant and easy-drinker.

OVERALL: My birthday is tomorrow and I think this may be my breakfast beer with some bacon and eggs. Wow; Truly a unique experience that is well worth trying. I cannot say that if this were regularly available I would regularly drink it, but I would reach for it a few times a year. Choc knocked the ball out of the park with this revival.

M ~ Crisp & Peppery. There is a great deal of flavor within the 4 % abv. A word I must used to describe this is meaty. Would pair well with any meat-based dish, as would a good Rauch. A very unique dry, mineral-y finish.

D ~ A very intriguing style that reminds me of a lighter bodied parallel of Rauchbier, and I really cannot get enough it. Worth seeking out simply to try the style, not to mention that it has an incredible flavor. Drinkability is extremely high.

Brought this one home from Brown's Bottle Shop in Stillwater, OK. Had not seen it before, so I had to have it.

I served tasting samples from this corked/caged bottle at a Christmas party - a perfect opportunity to expose some coworkers and their spouses to craft beer. Gratzer poured a hazed straw color with a booming white three finger top that was still a half inch thick at the bottom of my glass. A web of lace remained in the glass as thin crackled threads.

The smoke is obvious, but different from most smoked brews I've had. This is not a "campfire" type of smoke. It's more like a barbeque smoke. I got a grassy/wheat aroma as well.

Down in Krebs Oklahoma there are a few guys that still believe there are beers out there that need to be rediscovered. Mr. Lalli and the crew at Choc have brought back a beer from the grave and given it a new life in the heartland of America..Grätzer. From the wheat to the yeast,the only thing "Oklahoman" in this brew is the water and the hands used to produce it. Choc believes that authenticity is the root of what makes beers great...I would have to agree.

Sticking with the new world style of brewing using old world ingredients, Grätzer is a beer you may have never had the chance to sample in your lifetime. Upon inspection the 750ml bottle is understated amongst some others, but it is whats inside that counts. Giving the bottle a good swirl to loosen the sediment...I popped the cork. Great carbonation is evident right away. A good hazy golden straw color with a nice bubbly white head is apparent as you pour. The head slowly dissipates and lingers, hop lacing is very evident and persistent. Mild oak smoke is apparent followed by some bread, clove and banana. Hops are slightly detectable, but nothing to speak of. Creamy and cloudy it appears in the glass, which is appropriate for the style. The head has thinned to a fine strip but is hanging around the glass tightly. With the first sip lots of carbonation up front, tingly with a slight hop bitterness. The smoke follows throughout the middle and all the way to the finish. The finish is dry as the smoke sticks to the back of your tongue. There is a slight astringent aspect in the finish, but in no way does it distract from the flavor. Possibly caused by the Oak Smoked wheat? The smoke and other esters are extremely well balanced and enjoyable. Body is medium and appropriate for style. With only 4.0% ABV this beer is not intended to be a Huge juggernaut. The smoke is so mild, that it is a very inviting lingering aroma after the beer is finished...Well done! This beer would be simply amazing with bacon and eggs in the morning!

Having never sampled an authentic Polish Grätzer, this beer makes me want to visit my friend in Warsaw even more. I do not believe I could have ordered a more authentic beer representative of this style anywhere in the world, including Poland. Mr. Lalli and the crew at Choc have done an amazing job at resurrecting this wonderful beer from certain death. Here is to Mike and all the Craft Brewers that step outside the box to bring us AMAZING beers from all over the world! Na Zdrowie!

Pours a light golden straw color. Big fluffy white head with good retention. Aroma is smoke, wheat and a light fruitiness. Flavor is smoky up front, almost like bacon or smoked ham. But a slight tartness from the wheat gets you on the back of the tongue. A slight mustiness, almost like a low dose of brett. More balanced than many smoke beers, but the smoke is still the focal point. Medium bodied. I can appreciate what's going on here, particularly everything that went into recreating this rare style. But it's just not something I would seek out to drink again.

Okay, buy this beer and save it for back yard Bar-b-ques in the heat of the summer. Just drinking it makes me think of pool parties and grilling... resonating with summers when I lived on a lake.

A: very pale yellow. Color is uninspiring, but lets you know its going to be refreshing. Pretty decent lacing.

S: smells like smoke coming off the grill. and beer.

T: refreshing white grape, apple/pear, white tea, wheat/grain, tiny hint of green melon, AND smoke right off the barbecue. Maybe a little white pepper towards the last half. It's like you get to taste a refreshing beer and barbecue at the same time. ;-)

M: very pleasant amount of effervescence, early on in the experience there is a slight creamy feeling that makes me think of a banana. Not syrupy, not watery... just right for a refreshing summer brew.

O: drink this outside in the summer. very nice. I'll buy a few more and wait for warm weather.